A hundred vehicles in the French army are trying to rally Mali, transiting by Niger and Burkina Faso. Last week, the convoy had already been forced to stop by demonstrations against the French military presence.
Le Monde with AFP
While his passage had already created tensions in Burkina Faso, a French military convoy was again blocked by protesters, Saturday, November 27, to Tera (Niger). The latter – going to Mali, transiting by Burkina Faso and Niger – has since returned to the France-Presse agency with the staff.
“The convoy stopped last night in Tera. This morning, when they wanted to resume their progress towards Niamey [200 kilometers away], they were arrested by a thousand protesters and a violent group among them Attempted to seize trucks, “detailed the spokesman for the French staff, Colonel Pascal Ianni. “The Nigerian security forces were on site and managed to keep the protesters away from the convoy with tear gas,” he explained.
However, and after a moment of calm, “around 10:30, the tension is reassembled in the thousand protesters. The Nigerian gendarmes and French soldiers have taken summation fire,” continued the spokesperson.
Increasing criticism of the French presence
The convoy was finally able to leave will stop at midday and resume his progress towards Niamey. “We take all the precautions to secure the convoy and avoid tensions”, assured Colonel Ianni, by firmly dismiting “false information” circulating on social networks that the French army killed dozens of Nigerian civilians in Tera .
Critics with regard to the French military presence multiply in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Along nearly a hundred vehicles, the convoy had been stopped for more than a week, in Burkina Faso, as a result of events against the French military presence. The vehicles were first slowed down in Bobo-Dioulasso (South-West), in the capital Ouagadougou (center) and then in Kaya, about a hundred kilometers north-east of the capital. Four protesters had been injured by bullet in indeterminate circumstances.
Several protesters accused French soldiers from carrying weapons for jihadist groups who have been terrorizing for years several countries of the Sahel and are fought on the ground by the French army as part of the operation “Barkhane”. In this tense context, the president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, expressed on Friday night his “recognition” towards France, of which he greeted “sacrifices” in the countries of the Sahel.
In June, in June,
Paris reorganize its military mechanism against jihadists at the Sahel, leaving the most northern basis of Mali (Kidal, Timbuktou and Tessalit), and reducing its workforce in the region With more than 5,000 men today at between 2,500 and 3,000 men by 2023.